Hind Sight
by BeautifulFghtr
Summary: Is it always 20/20? When a former war buddy of Sam's returns from overseas and seeks out Sam, old emotions he'd thought he'd left behind will come bubbling back to the surface. Who will he choose? And once he makes his decision, will it be too late? AU storyline, taking place after "Slow Burn".
1. Chapter 1

The morning was cold and damp and Sam really didn't want to take his morning run in this weather. He also knew that if he skipped even one day, he would start to skip more, and he simply couldn't do that. Sure, he knew he could always run on the treadmill at the station, but that wasn't the same. Sam had really grown to enjoy the morning run and the time to himself. It was always loud and lively at work. There wasn't really any time to himself, to think about the day ahead nor the night past. He enjoyed spending time with his team, but there was still something to be said for having that time in the morning with no distractions.

With a sigh, Sam punched the right buttons on his iPod to get it playing the mix he liked to listen to when he ran and stuffed the device in his pocket before pulling on the gloves that would keep his hands warm during the exercise. He stepped outside and his body involuntarily shivered as the cold morning air hit what skin was exposed. After making sure the door was locked, Sam walked to the sidewalk by the street before picking up the pace to a nice, steady jog.

As he turned the first corner, a familiar song began its fast-paced drum beat and Sam couldn't help but smile. Just the night before, the song had taken on a whole new meaning for him. The dance club Natalie had dragged him and Jules to was definitely not the kind of place the pair frequented. They had agreed to go only because Nat had bugged them both until they had grown weary of her begging and nagging and had given in. The night hadn't been a total waste, though. A few drinks into the evening, Sam had allowed Jules to drag him to the dance floor. The song now streaming through the ear buds in his ears had started just as they had found an open space on the overly crowded dance floor. In spite of the fact that Sam felt like he had two left feet, Jules had somehow managed to lead him through a very close, very sensual dance that had left them both breathless – in more ways than one.

Sam had left Natalie his keys and he and Julianna crawled into a cab moments later. By the time they arrived at his place, they were all over each other. While there had always been an underlying spark of passion between them, their relationship had always been more on the subdued side of things. Jules taking matters into her own hands, so to speak, had been a big turn on for Sam, and needless to say, neither of the two had gotten much sleep before Sam's alarm had gone off. He'd thought once about ignoring it, knowing that it would go off again in an hour, but again – if he missed even one morning of running, he'd have to fight to get it back. So, with a kiss and sweet love note on the pillow beside her, Sam had crawled out of bed and dressed for the run.

The song playing in his ears rotated to the next and for a second, Sam felt a twinge of loss. He liked the memories that had flooded his mind at the previous song. He also could see himself turning around and heading right back home if he heard that song – and the memories that came with it – again.

Despite the chill in the air, Sam had worked up a decent enough sweat by the time he jogged back up the walkway to his front door almost forty-five minutes later. The run had been good, and he'd been glad he'd decided not to skip it. Letting himself back in the house, his sense of smell was immediately assaulted with the heavenly scent of waffles and bacon. His stomach growled rather loudly as he stood by the door and stripped out of the gloves and coat he'd worn on the run. He toed off the running shoes that now had a nice layer of cold, wet mud left by the previous day's rainfall. With a smile and a twinkle in his blue eyes, Sam followed his nose to the kitchen.

"If you tell me there's fresh squeezed orange juice, too, you're moving in!" he exclaimed with a grin. The subject of Jules living with him had come up a time or two, but so far, the subject had been changed every time he'd mentioned it. Sam would have been more than happy to have her move in. He knew that he loved her and he was ready to take that next step. Jules was still hesitant, and though it bothered Sam sometimes, he was willing to wait for her. She was more than worth it.

"It's not fresh squeezed, but there is a new bottle in the fridge. Extra pulp." She looked back at him over her shoulder in a suggestive way, as if telling him that extra pulp was some sort of sexual comment.

Sam's grin grew into a full blown, toothy smile and he crossed the kitchen in just a few quick steps. Moving up behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. "Sounds like heaven to me!"

Making sure to move back just enough to keep them both free of the chance of being splattered by the grease in the bacon pan, Jules turned her head enough that she could press a quick kiss against his lips. Her hand not holding the spatula rubbed against his arms wrapped around her middle. "You need a shower first," she quipped. "Then breakfast. Then work. Remember, Spike wants to show off his new toy before shift starts."

Sam nodded even as his chin dropped and his lips pressed a kiss against her exposed skin where her neck and shoulder blended together. "Yeah, I remember. Something he added to Babycakes, wasn't it? I'm telling you, if Nat doesn't give in and start seeing him again, he's going to marry that stupid robot."

Julianna let out an uncharacteristically girly giggle. Sam was right, though. Spike spent way too much time with his toys and not nearly enough getting himself out there in the world. Natalie had been the first girl he'd dated in as long as Jules could remember, and it had been sad when the two had decided to go their separate ways. They both still clearly liked each other, and that made the whole thing even worse. Spike asked about Sam's sister all the time, and Natalie asked about her brother's teammate just as often. If the two would only talk to each other, they'd be back together in no time and most likely making lots of babies.

Sam gave Jules' shoulder one last nibble before finally dropping his arms and rushing out of the kitchen to the bathroom. A fast shower, a warm breakfast, and a ten minute make out session with Jules later, Sam and Jules both piled into his truck and headed towards the station. Having been cleared by the chief himself to continue their relationship, Jules no longer felt the need to drop Sam off five blocks from the station and make him walk the rest of the way in. While there had been a certain naughty excitement to carrying on a taboo relationship, it was refreshing to not have to hide everything from their teammates and superiors.

Sam had changed into his uniform quickly enough and shut his street clothes away inside his locker. He checked the time on his watch and though there was still a bit of time before the actual start of shift, he headed out of the locker room and into the bull pen.

As Sam moved past the central desk, he gave Winnie a smile and greeted her with a quick "Good morning." Winnie raised a hand to stop his progression through the room and looked up at him.

"Hey Sam! You have a visitor. She didn't want to wait in here, so I set her up in the break room with some coffee. She seemed pretty adamant that she needed to see you as soon as possible."

Sam gave Winnie a confused look. Who would be there to see him that wouldn't be comfortable waiting for him here at the desk with Winnie? Nat was really the only person that was a constant in his life, but she wouldn't have needed the privacy of the break room, would she? Were things between her and Spike really that bad that she couldn't even say hello to the man if he passed her as she waited for Sam? Whoever it was that waited for him, Sam gave Winnie a nod and an offer of thanks before turning and heading towards the small room. There were a few tables scattered around the room, a fridge for storing bits of food and snacks for the teams, and a very large, very overworked coffee pot. Sam was curious about the mysterious visitor waiting for him, and his mind whirred has he tried to think of who might possibly be in that room. Nothing could have prepared him for the face he saw sitting at the table, staring blankly at the cell phone in her hand, even though enough time had passed that the phone's screen had gone black and locked itself from view.

"Pops?" he asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"

The dark haired beauty raised ice blue eyes that were immediately glassy with moisture that was on the verge of spilling over onto her cheeks. "Good to see you, too, Braddock."


	2. Chapter 2

It took more than a minute for the initial shock to wear off. It had been years since he'd seen those eyes in person. Sam took a deep breath and when he heard her call him by his last name, he snapped back into the present. A smile grew on his lips and finally with a sigh and a laugh, he lunged forward, closing the distance between them quickly and scooping her up in a bear hug that threatened to suffocate her. "I can't believe you're here!" he whispered in her ear, his voice choked with emotion.

Poppy wrapped her slender arms around his neck when he practically lifted her off her feet in the hug. She took a deep breath against his neck, breathing in the scent of him. The only thing that had changed was that he no longer smelled of sand and sweat. The underlying scent of pure male was still there, and still very detectible to her keen sense of smell. There was something about the way he smelled that had always stuck with her. Even to this day, she'd never found another that even came close to Sam Braddock. "I got back just last month. I've been visiting with family. Dox mentioned that he'd heard you were working here. I had to come see for myself." Poppy finally released the death grip she had on his neck and leaned back a little, her eyes almost gray in color looking up at him. Her long fingers cupped his cheeks and she smiled as she took in every detail of his face. One finger on her left hand traced over a small set of lines just beside his eye. "You didn't have these the last time I saw you."

Sam couldn't keep the grin away from his face as he stared down at her. It had been years since he'd held her like this, and yet it almost felt like it had been just yesterday. An ancient echo of her melodious laughter played in the back of his mind as more and more memories rushed through his thoughts. "I didn't have a lot of things the last time you saw me." He gave her a quick and playful wink before pulling back the rest of the way out of the embrace. "You, though…" He let out a small puff of air and ran one finger down the length of her cheek. "You haven't changed a bit."

A slight tint of pink rose up in her cheeks under Sam's scrutiny and following compliment. Poppy grinned sheepishly and looked away for a second. "You can still flatter me, Braddock." Her eyes seemed to twinkle in the fluorescent lights of the room when she returned her gaze to his. "Look, I know you're working and all… when you get done, can we meet somewhere? Get some coffee and catch up?"

Sam nodded in agreement without even thinking. "Definitely. If all goes smoothly, I'll be done here around 6. How about we meet at my place at 6?" Sam reached over and grabbed a napkin from the counter next to the coffee pot and quickly scribbled down his address and cell phone number for her, in case she needed extra directions or anything to finding his apartment.

He handed her the napkin, and Poppy took it with a grin. "I thought it was supposed to be the girl giving the guy her number on a napkin. My, how the times have changed while I was away!"

"You have no idea!" Sam replied with a laugh. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and slowly walked with her through the break room, leading her back to the front door of the station. Stepping out through the front door, Sam stopped her before she turned to leave. "It's really good to see you, Pops," he said softly and once again reached out to wrap her up in a tight embrace.

Poppy let him nearly smother her again. She'd forgotten what a good hugger he was. He could make any day better just by wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight. At least that much about him hadn't changed over the years. That was a good thing, and Poppy let herself lean against him for the duration of the hug. When they both reluctantly pulled back, Poppy reached up one more time to indulge herself in one more caress of his stubbly cheek. "Don't you dare shave this before tonight, Mister," she commanded quietly. "I like the scruffy look these days."

Now it was Sam's turn to turn pink in the cheeks. He loved it, though. Poppy could always do that to him. She could make him turn nine shades of red with hardly any effort at all. She called it a gift. Sam, on the other hand, called it a curse.

XXXXX

"Who was that?" Jules asked curiously when Sam returned to the main room. She'd seen him walk through with the woman, someone she'd never seen before, and the way the two of them were holding each other, the woman was definitely not a casual acquaintance. It wasn't like Julianna Callaghan to get jealous, and truth be told, she wasn't liking the emotion one little bit.

Sam shrugged his shoulders at Jules' question. His baby blue eyes cast a glance back towards the front door he'd just delivered Poppy through before looking back to Jules. "Just an old friend. She just got back into town recently and found out I worked here. She came to say hi, wants to get together after work and catch up."

Jules stared at Sam a minute like he was crazy. There was a question on her expression, but she didn't put it to words right away. She kept watching Sam, though, waiting for his brain to start functioning again and come back to life.

It seemed to hit him out of nowhere. Sam's expression changed and he looked at Jules with an apology written all over his features. "Oh, shit, Jules… I'm so sorry!" Sam Braddock was an amazing cop who could really make the right connections and was really good at coming up with ideas that no one else thought about. There were those times, however, when the man just didn't think past the end of his nose. "Dinner. I was just so surprised to see her, I didn't even think!"

He had really messed up this time. Jules had been planning this dinner date for over a week, and she had expressed more than once how excited she was about it. Jules wasn't typically the kind of girl to get all _girly_ over things like dinner dates, but this dinner was special – an anniversary of sorts. It had been one month to the day since the Chief had cleared she and Sam to stay on Team One and work together in spite of the romantic relationship they were involved in. It was a special day to Jules, and until this very moment, she'd thought it was special to Sam as well.

"Don't worry about it, Sam," she interjected quickly. "It's no big deal. We can just do dinner tomorrow." Jules was in a hurry now to get away from him. She was talking rapidly and walking away from him even as she spoke. Both a sure fire sign that she was angry and didn't want to discuss the situation at hand.

Sam knew that he'd screwed up. He held both his hands out in front of him, palms up, as he took a step towards her. "Jules…"

But it was too little too late. Jules turned her back on him and walked away, quickly shooting across the room and joining in the conversation with Ed and Spike. Spike was carrying on about the new bomb detection software he'd been able to install in Babycakes to make her even more effective in the field, and Jules pretended to follow along with everything he said. Her mind was anywhere but on Spike and his toy, though. She couldn't stop thinking about the woman she'd seen, about the way Sam had cradled the woman close to him while they'd walked through the building. Her mind raced with scenarios about who the woman was and what she meant to Sam. Whoever the woman was, she was someone special, someone he cared about. That knowledge alone sent wave after wave of unidentifiable emotions coursing through Jules. She really didn't like it. Not one little bit.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: First of all, a big thank you to everybody who has been reviewing these! I was really nervous about writing a fanfic again after years of RP as my only writing outlet, but with the encouragement of my biggest fan, DragonandthePhoenix03 and all the positive reviews, I'm getting more and more excited with each chapter! I hope you gals are, too. :D Thanks again everybody! Stick with me, and all your questions (and demands) will be answered.

Sam wasn't surprised at the cold shoulder he got from Jules for the rest of the day. He fully deserved it, and he knew it. It actually surprised him more when his jumbled mind caused his feet to stumble during the obstacle course practice and Jules backtracked to help him to his feet. He wasn't sure if that action made him feel better or worse. He tried several times to apologize to Jules, to get her to understand that he'd just been surprised by a visit from an old friend and hadn't been thinking clearly. Jules assured him she wasn't mad, but while Sam might be a typical guy, he wasn't a stupid one. He knew better than to believe her when she said she wasn't mad.

Even with the extra tactical training the team had participated in together, the day had seemed to drag by to Sam. He had glanced at his watch at least a hundred times, each time groaning to himself at how little time had passed since the last time he'd checked. When the shift had finally ended without being called out to a job, Sam had showered as quickly as possible and had already slipped out of the building when Jules stuck her head into the men's locker room to offer a quick kiss before he headed out to meet whoever this woman was. Seeing him already gone had spoken volumes to Jules and she'd left the station in an irate state of mind.

XXXXX

There had been a lot of consideration on Sam's part about whether or not to even go home after work. He and Poppy had agreed to meet at his place and then go out for coffee or whatever, but Sam's mind kept going back to Jules. He knew she was upset, even if she'd pretended not to be. He couldn't really blame her, after all. He knew she'd been planning this dinner for a while now, and for him to just totally forget it and blow her off was wrong of him. If he'd had Poppy's phone number, he would have called and cancelled the date. At least, that's what he kept telling himself – even as he'd pulled out a clean shirt and a nice pair of pants instead of his ratty old blue jeans. Okay, so maybe there was more to it than he was letting himself believe; there was more to Poppy than he was letting anyone else believe.

Sam actually checked his reflection in the mirror one more time just before he heard the knock at his door. With a deep breath, he moved through the small apartment to the door. He pulled open the door and immediately was glad he had decided to go through with the evening with Poppy. She was just as beautiful as always. Her pale blue eyes were in such stark contrast to her dark, nearly black sleek hair. She was impeccably dressed and Sam smiled as his own blue eyes looked her down and back up. "You look amazing."

Poppy adjusted the wrap around her shoulders and returned the smile Sam offered her. "You clean up pretty well yourself, Braddock." Poppy stepped inside and gave Sam the same once over with her eyes that he'd just given her. She grinned wider as she reached up and ran a finger down his cheek. "You didn't shave. You did that for me, didn't you?"

Sam felt the color rise up in his cheeks when she touched him. It took a lot to make Sam Braddock blush, but somehow, just a single touch from her could do it. Even after all those years, she had a power of him that he couldn't quite describe. In the past, it had been unreasonable, impossible even, to ever even indulge thoughts of being anything more than what they were. Now was no different. Sam was committed to Jules, even if tonight's events didn't show it very well. His heart was hers, no matter what kind of effect Poppy might have on him. "Not shaving was more of a time frame issue than a '_let's see what turns you on_' issue."

Poppy put a playful pout on her lips, but it only lasted a second. The woman wasn't much for playing games or acting like a child. She never had been – even when she was a child. Teasing Sam for a second or two was fun, but that was about all it was. She was enjoying seeing him like this, but it was short lived. The pout changed quickly to a laugh and Poppy motioned for the door. "Come on, Braddock. I'm hungry!"

XXXXX

Jules took a breath and adjusted the framed photo on the wall one more time. She took a step back and frowned before reaching out and adjusting it again. "Damn!" she muttered under her breath. Jules had already adjusted the picture at least six times, but the truth was, the frame had been perfectly straight to begin with. Julianna was distracted. She kept thinking about Sam and that woman he was spending his evening with instead of her. Jules understood that the dark haired stranger was an old friend of Sam's, but that didn't change the fact that Sam had blown her off in order to spend time with this "_old friend_". He hadn't even thought about inviting Jules to join them. Hell, he hadn't thought of her at all! Perhaps that was what had Jules so upset tonight. He was supposed to be with her! He wasn't supposed to be off having dinner – or doing God only knew what else – with some woman from his past.

Jules trusted Sam. She really did. She would never believe that he would cheat on her or do anything deliberately to hurt her. He loved her. She knew it. He loved her. He wouldn't hurt her.

And yet… the very fact that he'd blown her off for the night had hurt her. She'd never really let on just how much, though. Julianna Callaghan didn't get hurt. Keeping her heart and soul at arm's distance from anyone and everyone kept that very thing from happening.

Sam was different, though. Somehow Sam had managed to do what no man before him had ever done. Sam had broken through every one of her defenses and had reached a part of her that no one had been able touch in years, if ever.

"Damn him," she muttered under her breath and angrily slapped the edge of the frame in front of her, knocking it severely out of alignment. She let out a frustrated sigh and walked away, leaving askew the beloved photo of Sam and herself at the park the day they'd been told the chief had okayed them to be together.

XXXXX

"Sam? BRADDOCK!" Poppy snapped out his last name sharply when the stare off into space wasn't interrupted in the slightest by her simply saying his first name.

Sam jumped at the sound of his last name, as any soldier would. He had a startled expression for a half a second before his features softened apologetically. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

Poppy set down her coffee cup and crossed her arms over each other and leaned forward on the table. "Sam, where are you? You've been distracted since we got here. What's going on?"

He started to protest, but Sam knew that was pointless. She was right. He was somewhere else – with someone else. He had been all day. It didn't matter that she wasn't with him. His heart and mind were not in this little coffee shop. "I'm supposed to be having dinner tonight… with my girlfriend."

Poppy let out a sigh and leaned back in her seat as her eyes took in the sight of him across the table from her.

"Yeah, I know!" he responded defensively at the look on her face. "We were kind of celebrating tonight, and when I saw you, I just lost my mind for a minute."

"You were supposed to be celebrating… Sam, what the hell are you doing here with me?"

Sam looked at her, confused. "Pops, I haven't seen you in years. Why wouldn't I be here with you?"

Poppy looked at Sam with the kind of sympathetic expression you offer a wayward child that has done something silly and stupid. She reached a slender hand across the table and wrapped her hand around his wrist, giving it a small squeeze. "Sam, leave. Go find your girl and take her out, celebrate whatever it was you two were supposed to be celebrating tonight. I'll be in town for a while so we'll have plenty of time to play catch up."

Sam looked over at Poppy with a thoughtful expression. "Are you sure? She's already pissed at me anyway…"

Poppy waived a hand at him in dismissal. "Then don't make her more pissed off. You still have some time before the day is over. Drop by one of those street corner stands and buy her some flowers. Grab a bottle of wine at the supermarket. Go spend the rest of the night with her."

Sam watched Poppy for a minute as he thought about Jules sitting at home alone. He hated the fact that she was angry with him, though again, she had good reason. A small smile grew on his lips and finally he nodded. "I think I'll do that. You're the best, Pops."

"Yeah, I know. I'll text you so you'll have my number. Go see your girl and call me tomorrow."


End file.
